Bought her and a month later, went cross country

[Paydrow]

Hi folks! I'm Pedro Rodriguez out here in sunny California and I've been stalking this forum since Mar-Apr while deciding on my next bike. If the FZ6 had a shaft drive, It'd be my perfect bike

I bought the (slower) blue 06 with 21k miles bone stock.

My only upgrades thus far have been:
-Puig Double Bubble
-Frame Sliders
-2" Bar risers
(Picture Prior to Sliders)

I spent a good month getting used to the quick clutch and throttle before finally taking off for a month around the country.

I was really worried about doing this on the stock seat but during the month long trial period, It never became an issue. It is a very firm seat and I'm proud to say I did 1,000 miles in a day between Point 10 and 11 (through the Tail of the Dragon). The final stretch home from Tuscon, AZ was a 910 Mile day as well.

My only complaint was my right wrist. I used a throttle lock but it would still complain on the longer days. I'm definitely considering the FZ1 bar switch for the less aggressive pull.

 

[Paydrow]

Some more pics

Eastern Montana

On my way to Spokane, WA

 

[Lefty]

Heck of a 1st and 2nd post on the forum. :thumbup:
:welcome: and thanks for the pics of your ride.
Serious rep for your 14 day adventure! :rockon:

 

[ShoopCE]

Hey Pedro, Welcome to the forum! And WOW, that looks like a great ride. :rockon:

How well did your tires hold up for that long of a trip?

Oh, and welcome to the blue club - the very best color, at any speed.

Chris

 

[Paydrow]

Well Shoop, I'll take your word for it but the red one does look awfully fast.

My rear tire is a bit squared off but still has a good amount of thread. It had maybe 1000 miles on it before the trip. Probably due for a changing here soon.

My chain on the other hand, only made it to Texas before no amount of lube could remedy the awful tight spot. What a difference the new chain made!

Here's one of a 12 mile gravel road

 

[Falkor]

Well done on the great trip. This is the reason that so many of us purchase these great bikes. We bought a new 2014 FZ6R a few weeks ago and so far only done 500 ams but expecting to travel many many more.

 

[Motogiro]

:welcome:to our great family! Wow! I did a coast to coast a long time ago. But a month of touring and across twice!

Hope you'll hook up with us SoCal riders one of these days for a day down here in San Diego.

You are a warrior! :rockon:

 

[Paydrow]

Falkor- Never did I doubt the reliability of this bike. That piece of mind alone is worth so much to me. Looking forward to many more trouble free miles.

Motogiro- Just give me a date and a spot of dirt to lay a tent and I'm there. Hardly a warrior though.

 

[nivag]

Some serious mileage in 14 days!! Nice one!
Makes my 2550 in 8 days last year look like a trip for some milk lol

 

[motojoe122]

That is an amazing excursion! I'm pretty sure that mileage is the highest posted on this forum, well done!

 

[Sburke]

Awesome first post!


I just got back from a 550 mile ride in one day yesterday and thought that was insane.

 

[Red Wazp]

Excellent ride report. What happened in New Mexico between 13 and 14? Looks like you made a few turns and a loop.

Hats off for a great ride!

 

[FIZZER6]

Awesome trip! That's a lot of sights in 2 weeks!

I wouldn't last 1,000 miles in a day, my knees and lower back just can't do the seating position of the FZ6 for that long anymore.

 

[tejkowskit]

Impressive trip. Even more so that is was done on the stock seat!! I couldn't imagine riding that many miles on that log.

 

[Paydrow]

Thank you everyone for your warm welcome.

nivag: I actually wanted to swing by the store and grab some milk before coming home so I can tease that I got a little lost. But the last hundred miles, I was a horse on his way back to the barn. 2550 miles is no walk in the park really.

Red Wazp: I got a wee bit lost. My phone had died and my usb cigarette lighter was acting up so I opted to continue onward without it. How hard would it be to stay on ONE highway up to White Sands, New Mexico? haha. Hard enough. An hour and a half later, after 4 right turns, suddenly it all looked so familiar again. I drove in a circle
Frustrated and tired, I opted to skip White Sands and continue on my merry way to Tuscon. Well, that too proved to be a challenge. At some point, I realized I wasn't on i10 heading west but was actually on i25 heading north to Albuquerque. DOH!
I fired up the GPS and found a shortcut down NM-152, my favorite road of my entire trip. 60+ miles of lonely curves was not what I expected out of New Mexico. Part of my joy was due to the much needed increase In altitude after dealing with all that heat down in Texas. I hope to someday come back and ride this road again.

 

[Water Bear]

That is awesome! Did you take I-59 S through AL and MI down to I-12/ I-10 into TX? I'm curious...is it really 800 miles from the east of TX to the west on I-10?

 

[Paydrow]

I stayed in Houston for two days, camped in Marfa, and rode out on the 4th day. It looked a bit like this plus a few more squiggly lines in San Antonio while looking for a new chain.


https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Deal%27s+Gap+Motorcycle+Resort,+17548+Tapoco+Rd,+Robbinsville,+NC+28771/29.75484,-95.3503418/The+Alamo,+300+Alamo+Plaza,+San+Antonio,+TX+78205/Marfa,+TX/Truth+or+Consequences,+NM/Lordsburg,+NM/Tucson,+AZ/@32.5348828,-94.0013314,5z/data=!4m54!4m53!1m5!1m1!1s0x885ebe304269d551:0x6fe234824fb11a30!2m2!1d-83.91965!2d35.466783!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x865c5f554d36895f:0x17f98f0f84e7c422!2m2!1d-98.486075!2d29.425705!1m20!1m1!1s0x86efb0a37f4025ff:0x720e0d3e89d4c90!2m2!1d-104.020623!2d30.3094622!3m4!1m2!1d-106.3579481!2d31.896466!3s0x86e751c1d1e1cbc5:0xe707c20ebb8ee35f!3m4!1m2!1d-106.4926749!2d31.8788908!3s0x86e756611f1e259d:0xc32bb26d41bc559b!3m4!1m2!1d-106.5325957!2d31.7942797!3s0x86e7580777e29455:0xd54221a43106f034!1m5!1m1!1s0x86df822e517366db:0xa0256938d20946!2m2!1d-107.2528069!2d33.1284047!1m5!1m1!1s0x86d90221c569e579:0xf0393c35b0db09e9!2m2!1d-108.7086649!2d32.3503605!1m5!1m1!1s0x86d665410b2ced2b:0x73c32d384d16c715!2m2!1d-110.926479!2d32.2217429!3e0